In the article “Assessment Through the Student’s Eyes” by Rick Stiggins, the author elaborates his views on successful student testing. He begins by describing how students based on their emotional condition are projected into two onset categories after they are assessed. The classifications are “Students on Winning Streaks” and “Students on Losing Streaks” (Stiggins, 2007). Stiggins believes that either label transmits a stigma for the student and alternative measures should be applied to break this cycle. Especially for students who are on the trailing side. Children who constantly fail an assessment tend to shut down and lose faith in achieving their goals. Therefore, constant testing should be applied; however, with reformed and appropriate …show more content…
He states in his article that “by constantly applying the principles of assessment for learning, we can produce impressive gains in student achievement, especially for struggling student” (as cited in Black & William, 1998). When an educator can pinpoint children’s academic weaknesses, the teacher in turn can implement the correct strategies to assist them. However, before a teacher can continue student knowledge cultivation the student cannot feel inept to try. Therefore, Stiggins suggests measures must be taken to modify testing strategies so educators can scope the root of the student’s difficulties and anxieties. Stiggins places an emphasis on the child’s emotional state after assessments since constant failure “can raise questions, crack that confidence, and make the recovery more difficult” (Stiggins, …show more content…
The educator is giving the student a tool so he or she can break down the process of his or her errors. Once a child can acknowledge the concepts they truly do not understand, then an educator assist the student with the correct methods. If the error involves simple calculation, then students can learn better habits as to take their time or be more cautious. They can also incorporate better lifestyle behaviors before taking a test such as, retiring to bed earlier the night before or eating a hearty breakfast in the morning. These types of assessment practices and customs can build positive self-confidence in children who in turn will succeed. On the contrary, if they have negative premeditated thoughts of impending doom they will be sure to fail. It is known that a positive attitude in any situation is the greatest foundation for success. Now that I have returned to school with the ambition of becoming an educator, I am extremely pleased to witness some of the positive evolutions regarding assessments. Stiggin’s point of view is very well noted and will stay with me throughout my teaching career. Although, I am very aware this is a subject matter that always has room for improvements and should continuously be under
Assessment is defined in the Merriam – Webster Dictionary as “the act of making a judgement about something” and thus connotes a worthwhile activity based on sound, careful thought. In Education, assessment has been variously defined as “any systematic method for obtaining information from tests and other sources, used to draw inferences about characteristics of people, objects or programs” (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999, p.172); “any purported and formal action to obtain information about the competence and performance of a candidate’ (Schuwirth & van der Vleuten, 2014. p.243). Generally, assessment has three purposes. First, to determine what students do and do not know,
In the United States, standardized testing is used to measure how knowledgeable or unknowledgeable a person is in a particular subject. Standardized tests are exams designed to measure a student’s scholastic performance. These tests are a controversial issue, because some people feel the test do not show the students’ intelligence. I am one of these people. What the test may cover may not be what the students have learned in class. However, some critics feel “that standardized tests allow administrators, teachers, and parents the opportunity to view solid evidence of the students’ performance, which in turn could lead to curriculum changes” (Banta, p.1). Standardized tests also create unnecessary stress for students. These tests require students to study or cram for many hours and puts them in a demanding social setting where they are forced to answer difficult questions.
Various colleges, universities, and high schools utilize a grading curve where grades are distributed along a bell curve. While the system is praised for distributing grades fairly, the system is extremely unfair as it limits the amount of students who can do well. The system also causes intense competition because “your success means my failure” (Grant). This hypercompetitive atmosphere changes the environment of learning from a cooperative, collaborative experience to a stressful, anxiety filled one. With the suicide risk increasing, the mental health of students is being neglected because of the combination of being burnt out and the absence of social supports. Professor Adam Grant sought to fight this system by designing his own system in hopes of changing not only his students’ grades but the idea of teaching and learning. Grant began by creating difficult tests where one’s grade never hurt another;
The goal of education is to provide children with the opportunity to amass a wealth of knowledge, love for learning, and academic strength. Children go to school to read, write, and learn a variety of subjects. While education is meant to be exciting for children, there have to be standards in order to make sure that progress is being and those children are where they need to be in order to move onto the next phase of their education. Education builds as it grows, and students need a strong foundation in order to succeed and continue. Without those strong building blocks, students will continue to fall back and repeat the same material again and again. And so, testing and assessment come into play to make sure children are where they need to be. However, in early childhood settings testing is almost non-existent because of the stigma around testing. The current debate in our education system argues that testing is not a good measure of a child’s actual knowledge. Rather, assessment gives teachers a better picture of a student’s abilities and capabilities in the classroom. Thus, currently the debate continues over assessment versus testing in the classroom due to the demand for knowledge on whether or not testing is a good way of measuring a student’s progress in school.
Regular use of formative assessment improves student learning as instruction can be adjusted based on students’ progress and teachers are able to modify instructions to cater to students’ individual needs (Black & Wiliam, 2010; Taylor-Cox, & Oberdorf, 2013). Various forms of informal and formal formative assessment methods are conducted as learning takes place, continuously through teacher observations, questioning through individual interactions, group discussions and open-ended tasks (McMillan, 2011). tests can tell us a lot about students and be used to inform and guide teaching, rather than simply to determine grades. Teachers can learn a lot from test results if they analyse the data generated to inform their teaching and learning programs (Perso, 2009). However, high stakes tests may result in students becoming stressed, leading to misreading questions, careless working and incomplete answers (Booker et al., 2010).
Stiggins, R. (1991). Facing challenges of a new era of educational assessment. Applied Measurement in Education 4(4), 263+. Retrieved September 25, 2003 from Academic Search/EBSCO database.
Although our research project continues—it is far from finished—there were several considerations which brought us to the decision to write this book. First, in none of our publications had we spelled out the theoretical framework within which we have operated. It is consequently, with the relationships of our findings to each other, as well as to broader psychological issues, have not been discussed in a manner satisfactory to us. Second, is about we had a fair amount of unpublished data which we felt could only be evaluated within the context of all we have done. Third, is about we became increasingly aware that our work had important implications for psychological practices and procedures in the public schools. This awareness was due not only to our interpretation of our formal findings, or to the fact that we spent a great deal of time in the school setting, but also to the response of various school personnel who felt that our studies could be of great relevance in the development of testing procedures which would be more meaningful than those currently employed in our schools. The final factor entering into the decision to write this book was our inability, for reasons beyond our control, to remain together as a research team. We have worked intimately together for several years, all of us participating in the over-all
Standardized Achievement tests are often administered to give a perspective on how well students perform, however, most educators fail to understand that they are only limited to a certain r...
As it is, examinations are timed written or oral assessments held at the end of an academic term. It serves to asses a student’s knowledge and comprehension of all the subjects he has studied over the course of the term. Rather than tracking a student’s progress over the course of the term, it judges his/her ability over a handful of written or oral pieces. This is obviously not an accurate indication of one’s progress. Take for example the case of an intelligent and dexterous student who never fails to impress teachers and peers alike in his daily homework and assignments, but fell miserably short of the marks when it comes to the examinations, due to unforeseen circumstances that are not within his influence. These so-called “unforeseen circumstances” might be familial problems t...
Although standardized testing is commonly used in most schools and educational intuitions nowadays, it does not measure a student’s intelligence. As such, standardized testing should be revoked because, not only is it an unreliable way of measuring a student’s performance, it also pressures educators and creates a grade conscious mindset. Schools should focus more on the development of students, rather than ranking them based on the grades they receive on a test. Not only are standardized tests an undependable way of grading, but also, it does not promote life skills the student will need when growing
Because of the importance placed on how students perform on the standardized tests, teachers tend to alter the strategy; they use to offer instructions and also the content in the curriculum, so students can perform better on the tests (Karr-Kidwell, Meadows and Stacie 4). The tests discourage students who do not perform well even if they were performing well in their schools. For example, students perform well in their schools but this performance is not the same in the standardized tests. Most people who get good grades in school end up failing after they seat for the standardized tests (Boaler 503). The academic system fails to address poor performance in schools and concentrate more on how schools are rated in relation to the standardized tests. Students keep failing in schools, and they become less successful in life because they did not receive the help they needed in
It is important that teachers give children a fair chance to show their knowledge when assessing. “The purpose of assessment is to provide feedback that can be used to improve student performance” (Orange 2000). Teachers assess children to ensure that they are understanding the material, and to make sure they are learning. For young children, tests should never be the only criteria for assessment. Instructors should always make sure that their assessment is fair.
As teachers, we have to monitor the progress our students make each day, week, quarter and year. Classroom assessments are one of the most crucial educational tools for teachers. When assessments are properly developed and interpreted, they can help teachers better understand their students learning progress and needs, by providing the resources to collect evidence that indicates what information their students know and what skills they can perform. Assessments help teachers to not only identify and monitor learners’ strengths, weaknesses, learning and progress but also help them to better plan and conduct instruction. For these reasons, ongoing classroom assessment is the glue that binds teaching and learning together and allows educators to monitor their efficacy and student learning.
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a
I use assessments to assist me to identify and to develop their learning process. Assessment is not about the final grade, but the learning experience. I would rather have my students know how to look up information and apply knowledge than to memorize it and forget it ten minutes after the test. Learning is a life-long adventure and I want my students to know how to adjust and cope during their adventure. I want my students to have the skills for researching and finding the answer. It is not always that answer which demonstrates learning; it is in the process in which you find the answer that demonstrates learning.